Killer who fled custody twice and murdered pensioner in Costa del Sol whines he should be freed

Killer who fled custody twice and murdered pensioner in Costa del Sol whines he should be freed EXCLUSIVE: Carl Currey escaped custody in 2004 as he was taken to an aquarium in Plymouth - before fleeing to Spain where he murdered his father's friend in Torremolinos A violent killer who twice fled custody and murdered a pensioner in the Costa del Sol while at large has whined he should be freed. Carl Currey, 60, first evaded prison officials while serving his life sentence for wounding with intent while on a day trip to an aquarium in Plymouth in 2004. He was able to escape when his only guard nipped off to the toilet, it was claimed, before fleeing abroad. Currey fled to the Netherlands and to Thailand, before travelling to work with his father's friend, Jon Harris, 70, in Torremolinos, Spain, in 2006. Within two years of fleeing the UK, the decomposing body of Mr Harris was found in his flat. After a 10-month investigation Spanish police arrested Currey, who had been using aliases and a false passport. He was convicted of the murder in 2008 and sentenced to 12 years' and six months' imprisonment. He denied the offence. While serving his sentence in Spain, he received a consecutive 12-month sentence for causing bodily injury to another prisoner. In 2014 Currey was repatriated to the UK to complete his sentence, but in 2022 he absconded from an open prison and remained at large for ten months. He received a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody. Now he has launched a legal challenge opposing the Parole Board's decision not to grant him his freedom. He claims that "while [he] has a violent history there has been no violence since 2011". However Patrick Thomas KC, on behalf of the Parole Board, rejected his application, saying: "Although the tariff on [Currey's] life sentence expired 24 years ago, that is not quite the end of the matter. He has since then absconded twice and received a 14-year prison sentence for murder, and has only relatively recently become eligible for parole again." In 2023 Canterbury Crown Court heard Currey was an inmate at Standford Hill open prison on Sheppey when he went AWOL again. He had been trusted to return after being granted a four-day temporary release. Currey, however, "could not face going back", it was said, and went on the run. Ten months later, he was discovered by chance at a property in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, and arrested. He later pleaded guilty to remaining unlawfully at large and received a 12-month prison sentence. Outlining the details of Currey's 2022 freedom bid, prosecutor James Harrison told Canterbury Crown Court: "On January 7, 2022, he was released on temporary licence at 8.30am with a condition to return at 3.30pm four days later on January 11. He didn't return. "Efforts were made to try and contact him by telephone but he didn't respond and didn't return to the prison at all. Kent Police were notified he was at large and information was circulated. By happenstance, he was arrested on November 10 by Sussex Police investigating another matter. He was found at an address in Sea Road, Bexhill, at 5.40am. He was asleep on the sofa, with his brother Daniel in a bedroom." The court heard documents relating to a “David Taylor”, including his date of birth, bank card and a bus pass with the image scratched off were also found. "The Crown has no certainty the defendant was using that identification but it seems an inference can be drawn," added Mr Harrison. Currey, who also has a previous conviction for armed robbery for which he was jailed for eight-and-a-half years, gave a no-comment interview. Kieran Galvin, defending, described the killer as "an articulate man with a great deal of insight", and even suggested he was "the kind of client he wished the judge could meet in person". He said Currey had been considered a model prisoner in the open prison but absconded shortly after a scheduled parole hearing had been cancelled when a psychologist was unable to produce a report. "Once he was out and about he said he simply couldn't face going back to prison," added Mr Galvin.